This book begins with a deep appreciation for the labor and devotion of all the 19th and early 20th century European scholars who made the Rigveda known to the world. Yet, questions kept lingering: why the Rigveda doesnt have anything entailing Indian prehistory, culture, or of historical India? Who were the people for whose benefit certain sacrificers arranged elaborate festivities, most often participated by gods, so that hymns were composed to please them?

The questions remained unanswered as the context of the entire Rigveda was assumed to be mythical or obscure. The Near Eastern...